


Truth or Dare

by i_know_its_0ver



Category: Merlin - Fandom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-24
Updated: 2011-01-24
Packaged: 2017-10-18 14:51:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/190016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_know_its_0ver/pseuds/i_know_its_0ver
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>High School!AU: Gwaine and Merlin are best friends. They've been playing a constant game of Truth and Dare for three terms now. So when Gwaine finds out that Merlin has a crush on Arthur it's only natural that he dares Merlin to wank in Arthur's bed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Truth or Dare

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for a post at a comment fest. Warnings for explicit sexual content and underage.

Gwaine slid into his customary seat beside Merlin in the canteen.

“Truth or dare?” he asked without so much as a ‘hello.’ Merlin just grinned and rolled his eyes. This was a game they had been playing all school year. He couldn’t remember how it had started, but he thought Gwen probably had something to do with it. Gwaine had taken a shine to it, and they were now involved in one long, extended game that never really ended.

“Truth,” Merlin replied, because he always chose truth, without fail. Merlin wasn’t daring like Gwaine, who always chose ‘dare’ and more often than not ended up in detention for doing something above and beyond what Merlin had commanded.

Gwaine had obviously anticipated this answer, and had a question already prepared. “What sex position would you most like to try with Arthur?”

Merlin groaned. He had expected something along those lines. Ever since Gwaine had uncovered his not-so-well hidden crush on Arthur Pendragon, jock extraordinaire and prince of the damn school, he never stopped teasing him about it. He had already suspected Merlin’s feelings (Merlin had never really understood the concept of ‘subtle,’ after all), but it was the damn game that had finally gotten Merlin to admit to it. And now Gwaine used the game to torture Merlin, his crude mind coming up with ever more provocative questions.

The truth is, Merlin had a ready answer for almost all of them. He had already considered them, some in great detail, during the lonely nights alone in his bed with just his left hand and imagination for company. But admitting that to Gwaine would only make things a thousand times worse. So he pretended to be deeply offended, then dragged his feet about answering.

“God, Gwaine, I don’t know! Who thinks about that kind of stuff?” He tried to hide his blush by taking a swig of his juice.

“I spend plenty of time considering how I’d like to take your mum.”

Merlin nearly choked on his orange juice, causing Gwaine to laugh raucously and smack him on the back. Gwaine loved to make jokes about everyone’s mother, but he found it particularly hilarious with Merlin because he actually knew Hunith quite well. Mrs. Emrys was like a second mother to Gwaine, who spent most of his afternoons over their house. To Merlin, this made his jokes even more appalling. And Merlin’s horror only fueled Gwaine’s amusement.

“Come on, mate, answer the question.” He prodded Merlin in the ribs with an elbow and waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Merlin sighed, giving in. It wasn’t worth drawing this out today. “Fine, I don’t know, doggie style I guess?” The truth was much more detailed: in his fantasies Arthur fucked him from behind, pushed up against a wall, desperate and rough and needy. But Gwaine absolutely did not need to know any of that.

Gwaine crowed with laughter, slapping him on the shoulder in that manly way that Merlin could never get the hang of. “A fine choice, my friend,” Gwaine replied. He would actually know from experience, after all, while Merlin had only his fantasies. Damn Gwaine and his smooth way with the ladies, Merlin thought bitterly for the millionth time since they hit puberty. How had he turned out so suave and handsome, while Merlin was gangly and awkward? Fate just wasn’t fair.

“All right, all right, your turn,” Merlin said, mostly to distract Gwaine from any further discussion of his pathetic fantasy sex life. “Truth or dare?”

Gwaine, predictably, chose dare. Merlin had also thought about this in advance, and he’d come up with quite a good one during first period chemistry. “All right: steal Mr. Percy’s toupee. And there have to be witnesses, or it doesn’t count!”

Gwaine rubbed his hands together and grinned like a madman. “Been wanting to do that for a while, actually,” he confessed and Merlin could only laugh. He had guessed as much.

Gwaine jumped up. “Well, wish me luck.” And with that he disappeared, off to create mischief and undoubtedly get himself landed in detention for another week. Merlin almost felt guilty, but Gwaine deserved a little payback for his constant teasing. Merlin set off to find Gwen and tell her all about it. She would undoubtedly role her eyes and chide them like a mother hen, then laugh her ass off. He really loved Gwen. What would he do without one thoroughly sane friend?

**************

He didn’t see Gwaine again until the next evening, after dinner. Gwaine lived just down the street, and he always let himself into Merlin’s house, waving to Hunith as he passed by on his way to Merlin’s room. There were no formalities with Gwaine.

“How did it go?” Merlin asked as Gwaine flopped down dramatically on his bed, landing across Merlin’s lap

“Spectacular,” Gwaine gushed, going on to imitate Mr. Percy’s outraged expression and describing the merry chase he had led him on all over the east wing. Merlin laughed till tears streamed from his eyes. Gwaine was great with stories.

“It was a good dare, mate, I’ll give you that. Well worth the two weeks of detention.” Merlin cringed at that. He had known Gwaine would get in trouble, but he hadn’t expected it to be so harsh. He really did feel guilty now.

“Sorry, I didn’t think he would come down on you so hard,” he said, carding his fingers through Gwaine’s thick hair, as was his habit. Gwaine was a bit like a puppy, Merlin always thought, and like a puppy he liked to be petted. Merlin was happy to oblige.

“Ah, no worries. But you do owe me for this.” Gwaine sat up abruptly, looking at Merlin with his most mischievous grin. “For this one, you own me a dare in return. No getting away with just a truth this time. It’s time to man up, pull your weight.”

Merlin knew he was right, that it wasn’t really fair for Gwaine to constantly entertain him with his antics while he played it safe. Then again, Gwaine would probably do these things even without the stupid game as an excuse. Still, maybe it was time to be daring, to take a risk. It might even be fun.

“Alright, then. Dare.” He sat up straight and tried to look manly and brave, ready to face whatever challenge was laid before him. Gwaine grinned wider than ever. It looked almost maniacal, which made Merlin nervous. Whatever Gwaine had in mind, it was something big.

“I dare you to wank in Arthur Pendragon’s bed.” He looked so pleased with himself, but Merlin could only gape. He had obviously heard that wrong.

“Sorry, what did you say?” Merlin tried to keep his expression neutral, not giving away the steadily rising panic constricting his throat.

“Oh come on, it makes perfect sense! You’re hopelessly in love with Arthur, right? This will help you get over it, or at least get some of that pent-up frustration out. Have a good wank in his bed, live out your fantasies. It will be good for you, healthy, even.”

Merlin still wasn’t hearing this right, he couldn’t be. “I am not hopelessly in love!” he protested, focusing on the only detail he could comprehend properly. Because the rest was just too ridiculous to respond to. He was joking, surely.

“Come on, you’ve been pining over him since middle school! I’m telling you, this will be good for you.” Merlin could only continue to gape as the details of what Gwaine was suggesting began to fall into place.

“That’s impossible. How the hell am I going to get into his room? I’m not about to break the law for some stupid prank.”

Gwaine leaned in conspiratorially. “No problem there. I ran it by Morgana, and she’s willing to help us out. She said something about stupid boys and getting it over with. But I think she secretly fancies me.” He flipped his hair over his shoulder the way he did when he wanted to emphasize his masculine charm. Many a girl had fallen for that hair toss. But Merlin wouldn’t be distracted.

“Morgana? You told Morgana about me—about my—oh God.” Merlin buried his face in his hands. Morgana, the half sister of the object of his apparently no-longer-secret desires. Morgana, who had a reputation for being conniving and shrewd. She knew his secret. He may as well give up and transfer schools right now. Maybe even leave the country. Would that be enough?

“Look, mate, a dare’s a dare. You can’t back out now, you’re bound by your honor as a man. Tomorrow afternoon Arthur will be at football practice, and Morgana will let us in. We’re doing this, no matter what you say. You owe me, after all.”

At that moment Merlin wished he had never met Gwaine.

****************

Merlin barely slept that night. All he could focus on was how his life as he knew it was about to come crashing down in a burning wreck. However this turned out, it couldn’t be good. Sure, he had entertained fantasies about something like this (he had the sneaking suspicion that he may have admitted as much to Gwaine once during the game). But actually doing it was terrifying and creepy and just _wrong_. This was overstepping so many lines, into creepy stalker territory.

He tried to avoid Gwaine the next day at school, hoping he might forget all about it, or realize it was stupid, or admit he had only been kidding after all. But Gwaine found him after first period, sneaking up from behind and throwing an arm around his shoulder.

“You ready for the big event?” Merlin only groaned and desperately wished for the earth to open up and swallow him right then.

He tried to sneak away after school, to get home before Gwaine could find him. If he could just make it to his house he might be safe. There was so way Gwaine could drag him away with his mother there, not if he screamed bloody murder.

But Gwaine accosted him before he could even get past the school gates.“The time has come! Today you become a man!” he announced entirely too loudly, and Merlin tried to ignore the stares from curious classmates as Gwaine led him to his car with a firm grip on his arm.

Merlin sat silently in the passenger seat, sending Gwaine his strongest death glare, hoping he might take the hint, or better yet, drop dead. But Gwaine just continued to smile. How could he claim to be Merlin’s best friend? The man was obviously a two-faced liar, a sadist who took pleasure in other people’s humiliation. How had he managed to fool Merlin for 16 years?

The car pulled up to a very large house on a secluded lot, in the posh part of town that Merlin had only driven by on his way to other, more plebian, places. This world was so different from his own small row house and tiny front garden. He knew Arthur’s family was rich, that they came from different worlds. But here was the irrefutable proof.

Gwaine had to drag him from the car, prying Merlin’s fingers from the door handle one by one. He kept a grip on him as he rang the doorbell, as if he expected Merlin to make a run for it. Which wouldn’t be a bad idea if Gwaine weren’t way more athletic than Merlin and able to run him down in a matter of seconds. Merlin wanted to preserve the last shreds of his dignity, at least.

Morgana opened the door, looking them over with a critical gaze. Gwaine grinned, but Merlin was ready to throw up on his shoes. “Well, come in. Arthur’s room is at the end of the second floor hallway, on the right. He’ll be at practice till 5, so I suggest you be gone before then.” She looked bored, like she didn’t care what sick antics they were up to. What a sister.

But as she turned away Merlin could have sworn she flashed him a smirk that was as full of mischief as Gwaine’s own patented grins. But then they rounded a corner and his mind turned back to the reality before him.

Gwaine pulled him down the hall, his feet tripping over each other, legs refusing to work properly. Suddenly they were in front of a door, and Gwaine was opening it, pushing him inside, and closing it again behind him. Merlin had to concentrate on not falling flat on his face.

He looked around the room which now served as his makeshift prison. The room was large, with long west-facing windows which let in the afternoon light. The walls were a light blue, matching the bed spread.

The room was plain, and there was disappointingly little in the room that really indicated _Arthur_. The walls were bare, no traces of the usual posters and knickknacks and clutter. There were some clothes strewn about the floor, mostly sports uniforms and dirty socks. And there were a few framed photos on top of the bureau.

Merlin walked over to examine them more closely. One was of Arthur and Morgana as children, pulling each other’s hair and pouting. Not much had changed since then, and the thought made him chuckle. Another was of a beautiful woman Merlin had never seen before. She must have been related to Arthur, because she shared his light blond hair and clear blue eyes.

Other pictures showed Arthur and his footy mates holding a trophy or goofing around. Merlin recognized some of them from school, though he had never really spoken to them. Arthur looked happy in those photos, in a way Merlin couldn’t remember seeing before. At school he was usually so reserved and aloof. That stoicism was part of his allure, really. But Merlin wanted to see these other expression too, the lopsided smile and mirthful eyes, directed at him. Of course it was a stupid dream. Arthur didn’t even know who he was.

It reminded Merlin of just how out of place he was here, and he decided to put an end to his and leave before it got worse. Who cared what Gwaine would say. Merlin wasn’t sure he would ever speak to him again anyway.

But then he looked over at the bed. Like the floor, it was messy, with the sheets pulled back and pooled down the end in a messy pile. This was where Arthur slept. Merlin felt drawn to it, pulled by some compulsion he couldn’t name. Fine, then, he would just feel it a little, have a seat for a moment. Purely for the sake of curiosity. Then he would leave.

The sheets were cold, of course. He didn’t know why that disappointed him so much. He sat down with a sigh, feeling worn out by the burden of his worries and embarrassment and the unbearable weight of the desire that pooled in his belly now, even though he willed it away with all his might.

He shifted about on the bed and the movement released a subtle waft of fragrance. It was…oh God, it was Arthur’s scent, emanating from the sheets. The sheets where he slept, probably naked or nearly so, his skin gliding against the soft cotton. The bed where he probably touched himself, in the middle of the night, when no one would hear, sweat and musk mingling and soaking into the sheets…

Oh no. Merlin’s mind was swiftly betraying him, drifting into territory that was strictly off limits. His traitorous body was following suit, his cock already half hard just thinking about Arthur alone in that bed.

He had scoffed at Gwaine’s dare as ridiculous, but now his body at least seemed to think it was a brilliant idea. He was in _Arthur’s bed_. When would he ever have an opportunity like this again? Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to go with it, just a little, live out this fantasy so he could finally let it go, like Gwaine had said. Gwaine’s words were suddenly starting to seem more and more reasonable, which probably should have set off warning bells.

Merlin allowed himself to recline on the bed, his head resting on the pillows. _Arthur’s_ pillows. They smelled of shampoo, a light mix of mint and citrus. What Arthur’s hair would smell like.

That thought was enough to make Merlin fully erect. Now there was no way he could suppress it. It would be better to just take care of it quickly and get it over with so he could go home and then block this from his memory forever.

He reached down with eager fingers, unbuttoning his fly and sliding his pants down carefully, just past his hips. His freed cock stood stiff and thick, throbbing with the need for attention.

It was different from any of the times he had touched himself before. Each feeling was more intense, almost overwhelming. His fantasies were more vivid, aided now by the images and scents surrounding him

He imagined Arthur with him in the bed, kissing him, touching him, tangling together in those sheets, covering them in sweat. He imagined pleasuring Arthur there in his bed, Arthur trying to keep quiet so as not to get caught. He imagined taking Arthur’s cock in his mouth, how it would feel, how it would taste. And then Arthur entering him with deep, slow thrusts. They were things he had imagined before, but now they almost felt real, like this bed had somehow cast a spell that made his thoughts come to life.

He tried to keep his pace slow and lazy, but it was impossible. With his senses overwhelmed like this he wasn’t going to last long and he knew it. He tried to make the most of it, to make every second count.

He was close, so close, imagining Arthur coming deep inside of him, moaning his name. He panted Arthur’s name in response, letting it tumble from his lips in needy gasps. He was so close, so close—

And then the door opened.

Merlin’s eyes shot open, his body frozen. He expected to see Gwaine, come to check in on him, make sure he was following through with the dare.

But in the doorway stood Arthur, mouth gaping, cheeks flushed.

Oh shit.

Merlin’s brain refused to function correctly, to take in what was actually happening. He should have been apologizing, or getting the hell out of there as quickly as possible. Instead the only thing he could think to say was, “Morgana said you’d be at practice.”

And then he wished the ground really would open up and swallow him, or maybe that he would have a heart attack and die instantly. Because he had just admitted, indirectly at least, that he was a giant pervert and possibly also a stalker.

Arthur seemed as startled by that response as Merlin himself.

“I don’t see why, since she knows I was taking today off.” He said it almost conversationally, like they were having a chat over a cup of tea, _not_ like he’d just walked in on Merlin getting off in his bed. It made the situation feel even more surreal.

“Oh.” It was all Merlin’s addled brain could come up with. Morgana had known Arthur would be coming home…had Gwaine known too? It didn’t matter. He was going to kill them both. As soon as he came up with somewhere to hide the bodies.

“Well, ah,” Arthur cleared his throat and Merlin realized he was still frozen mid-stroke, fully exposed. He scrambled to sit up, covering his lap with one of the pillows. Arthur’s pillows. Shit.

Arthur made a small noise that sounded almost like a groan, and Merlin finally looked at him. Arthur’s hands were gripping the door frame so tightly his knuckles had gone white. His eyes were staring directly at Merlin’s pillow-covered crotch, and there was an undeniable bulge in his trousers.

Oh buggering _hell_ , Merlin was hard again too. Fate really wasn’t cutting him any breaks today.

Arthur noticed Merlin’s gaze and shifted uncomfortably, letting go of the door frame and moving further into the room. He looked Merlin over, taking in the whole scene. Merlin sat tense, waiting for Arthur to punch him or yell at him or _something_ to break this unbearable tension.

What he finally said caught Merlin completely off guard.

“Well, Morgana certainly is, uh, unorthodox, but she does know how to get things done.”

Merlin’s brow furrowed in confusion. He had no idea what the hell that meant. If it meant that Morgana was a genius at making him look like a complete ass, then yes, he couldn’t agree more.

Arthur took another step forward, eyes finding Merlin’s and examining them intently. He apparently noticed Merlin’s confusion, because he continued his explanation.

“The last time she got me drunk I apparently admitted to a few…fantasies. I was hoping she would forget, but…” he trailed off, taking another step toward the bed until he was only inches away, legs brushing against Merlin’s knees. Apparently that was supposed to clear things up, but Merlin was still hopelessly confused. But now Arthur was standing inches away and it no longer seemed to matter _what_ Morgana had or hadn’t done.

Before he could think about it any further Arthur was leaning down, noses rubbing against one another, and Merlin had to angle his head up to look at him. Arthur took this as an invitation to capture his mouth in a searing kiss. And then Merlin stopped thinking altogether.

The kiss was needy and insistent, Arthur quickly sliding his tongue past Merlin’s lips to explore his mouth. Merlin struggled to keep up, to remember how to breathe amidst such intense sensory overload. His brain was still trying to process what was happening, but his body was ahead of the game, taking control and moving instinctively. He met Arthur’s tongue with his own, timidly at first, then gaining confidence as he mimicked Arthur’s actions.

Arthur placed one hand along the side of Merlin’s neck and the other on his shoulder, slowly easing him back until they were lying on the bed, the full length of their bodies pressed together. Arthur pressed his weight down, rolling his hips until their cocks ground together through the fabric of Arthur’s trousers. The friction made them both groan. But it wasn’t enough. Merlin was starting to feel desperate. He had been so close earlier and hadn’t finished, and now the need for release was almost painful.

He reached between them to push his jeans further down his hips and out of the way, then undid Arthur’s trousers, fumbling with the zipper. Arthur didn’t help matters, distracting him by sprinkling kisses over Merlin’s exposed throat.

Finally Merlin had the infernal fabric out of the way and reached down, taking both of their cocks in his palm, trying the stretch his fingers as far around them as possible. Arthur groaned as the motion brought them into direct contact with each other. The slide of hard, hot skin was delicious, but the one hand wasn’t enough, didn’t give enough friction. Merlin made a frustrated noise, which sounded suspiciously close to a whimper. Arthur chuckled and kissed him playfully before bringing his own hand to join Merlin’s, helping to encircle them completely.

They established a steady rhythm, rocking their hips up and down in time to the slide of their fists. The double feeling of skin against skin was overwhelming, and Merlin wondered why he had never thought of this before, in all of his years spent fantasizing. Arthur must be some kind of sex genius, he decided.

Merlin was the one to increase the rhythm, because he needed to come, _now_. Arthur obligingly followed suit, tightening the pressure of their hands and picking up speed. Merlin’s breath was coming in gasps now, and he was so close, so damn close.

And then Arthur’s breath was at his ear and he was groaning so deliciously and Merlin finally came undone, shouting Arthur’s name the way he always did in his fantasies, the way he had never dared to do alone in his bed. Arthur groaned, kissing his one more time, open mouthed and clumsy, before he was coming too, in a groan that sounded suspiciously like Merlin’s name.

They took a moment to recover and get their breathing back under control. Arthur rolled himself over slightly so he wouldn’t crush Merlin, but didn’t move away from him, still keeping their legs entwined and an arm thrown over Merlin’s chest.

Merlin was trying to remember what it was like to think coherently, in words other than ‘yes’ and ‘fuck’ and ‘more.’ It was a difficult undertaking.

Arthur seemed to come around first. “I guess Morgana was right after all,” he said, while carding his fingers through Merlin’s hair and watching his face intently. It felt so nice that Merlin almost forgot to pay attention to his words. But then it sunk in.

“You said that before too. What is going on? I don’t know anything about Morgana or any plans. Gwaine was the one who dared me to—to…” he couldn’t quite bring himself to say the words, because even though things had turned out brilliantly, he was still monumentally embarrassed at being caught, well…

Arthur considered this, fingers now exploring Merlin’s cheek bones and sliding along his jaw. “I guess they must have been working together, then.” Merlin frowned to convey that he still had no idea what Arthur was going on about. Arthur leaned forward to kiss the corner of his downturned mouth.

“Today is my birthday. And Morgana promised she’d get me the thing I wanted most.” And Merlin couldn’t stifle a laugh at how ridiculous they had all been. All the denial and planning and conniving, all to get them to this one utterly perfect moment. There was probably a much simpler way to go about it, but right now he could forgive all the absurdity.

He might even find it in his heart to forgive Gwaine, who may actually turn out to be something of a genius, and was certainly the best friend he had ever had.


End file.
